Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 11, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha is one of the shortest in the Torah, only including 57 psukim (verses). One of the main themes discussed in the parsha is that of yovel, the Jubilee Year. Every fiftieth year, all land would return to its original owner. This included slaves, and the rabbis of the Talmud were eager to Continue Reading »
Posted on April 24, 2012 by aliza
We are a group of international students living in Jerusalem deeply disturbed by the racism that has recently manifested itself in a series of violent incidents involving the Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans. On March 19, hundreds of Beitar fans stormed the Malha mall in Jerusalem, violently assaulting Arab workers while chanting racist slogans including “Death Continue Reading »
Posted on April 3, 2012 by J. Belasco
Most people who know me know that I am active in the field of disability rights. While it has taken me a while to connect to a disability community here in Jerusalem, I have recently begun to do so through the Jerusalem Center for Independent Living (מרכז לחיים עצמאיים), which is located in a decently-sized, Continue Reading »
Posted on March 17, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Alum Katie Greenberg asked us to repost her article about the Tav Chevrati from THE TIMES OF ISRAEL here on These&Those: When I came to Jerusalem three years ago to study at the Pardes Institute of Jewish studies, I was returning to a familiar city. Unlike many of my classmates I had lived in Jerusalem Continue Reading »
Posted on January 30, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
by Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein I had been studying at the Pardes Institute for a few months last year when I heard a presentation by Dyonna Ginsburg, then director of a small amuta called Bema’aglei Tzedek . She described the situation of the working poor, and particularly contract workers in Israel, the gap between the Continue Reading »
Posted on January 29, 2012 by David Bogomolny
“What influenced me the most was how my parents acted toward others. Both of them were my role models. Both were black sheep… I like black sheep :)” After escaping from Hungary during the Holocaust, Carolina’s grandparents didn’t affiliate themselves with the Jewish community of Venezuela, and raised their children without much Jewish tradition… so it came as Continue Reading »
Posted on January 25, 2012 by Anton L. Gershteyn
Here is the original post by Rose, proclaiming ideas that I strictly oppose. The initiative of “criminalizing the purchase of all sexual services” sounds absolutely wrong and horrific. There is a huge problem of FINANCIAL incapability of more and more people every day. Poor girls and boys have to step over themselves and start selling their Continue Reading »
Posted on January 13, 2012 by Derek Kwait
(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) Last year on Parshat Sh’mot, I gave the following speech at Young People’s Synagogue where I announced my intention to apply to Pardes for the coming year. As it turns out, once I got to Pardes, I spent most of the first semester in Chumash studying Parshat Continue Reading »
Posted on December 31, 2011 by Barer
[Cross-posted from my blog] In Jewish culture, there is a high value placed not just on learning, but on learning lishma — learning for its own sake (a source for this would be much appreciated). This is not a familiar concept for secular academics, where knowledge gained has a practical purpose, even if that purpose Continue Reading »
Posted on November 23, 2011 by Lauren Schuchart
“Sleep less, do more…and have the courage to fail.” -Rabbi Levi Lauer Every Tuesday at Pardes, we have a school-wide learning session, where a faculty member or guest lecturer speaks about a “critical issue” facing the community. Last week, we heard from Rabbi Levi Lauer, a past dean of Pardes and the current executive director and Continue Reading »
